A group of astronomers reports that they have figured out the weight of the heaviest and brightest ring on the planet Saturn, also known as “ring B”. The calculations were made possible thanks to the collected data from the NASA Cassini spacecraft, which, among other things, can provide scientists with new information about the age of the planet's ring system, as well as how it could have been formed.
Scientists managed to figure out the mass of the ring thanks to an optical and infrared spectrometer installed at Cassini. Thanks to this device, scientists analyzed the volume of light passing through ring B and calculated the so-called spiral density waves. Having calculated the data, the scientists came to the conclusion that the typical mass density of the surface of ring B is from 40 to 140 g / cm 2 .
The researchers note that, despite the obvious differences in the density of the ring in its different regions, the mass of individual regions of the ring remains relatively unchanged, which in turn has led to think about what exactly such differences in opacity and reflexivity can cause.
"Appearance can be deceptive," says study co-author Phil Nicholson of Cornell University in New York.
“A good analogy is the example of early fog over a field and, say, a pool of water. Despite the fact that the pool contains more water and the water in it is much denser, we can perfectly see what is at the bottom. In turn, it is much more difficult to see something through the fog. ”
According to the researchers, it is likely that such high opacity of the Saturn's B ring may be the result of a huge amount of large particles contained in it. Perhaps the cause is an unknown aspect related to the structure of the ring itself.
The results obtained by scientists can shed more light on how the unique system of rings of Saturn was formed, and also help in ascertaining its age. Despite the fact that the mass density of ring B is not much different from one region to another, the total mass of the ring turned out to be much lower than previously assumed.
As the ring develops, it absorbs more and more dust from meteorites and other sources, which makes it denser and increases its mass. However, since ring B has a smaller mass than previously thought, it may be much younger than previously thought. Scientists suggest that the ring may be only a few hundred million years old, and not several billion, as previous theories have suggested.
Despite the fact that the operating time of the Cassini spacecraft is smoothly coming to an end, the probe still failed to figure out the many mysteries of the amazing planet Saturn. One of the last tasks of the apparatus will be the most accurate calculation of the mass of the planet, minus the system of its rings.
The article is based on materials .
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